The mitochondrial protective gene PGC-1α is also closely related to diabetes, and UCP2 is related to anti-mitochondrial oxidative stress, but the mechanism of action of these genes is unclear.
Decreased UCP2 gene expression in mononuclear cells from obese and diabetic patients might contribute to the immunological abnormalities in these metabolic disorders and suggests its role as a candidate gene in future studies of obesity and diabetes.
Thus, our results shed further light on the regulatory network in β-cells consisting of miRNAs, UCP2, and insulin and provide novel therapeutic targets for diabetes.